Verizon Wireless refunding $90 million in data charges to customers

Verizon Wireless just hit us up, and the news is very big. Verizon is refunding erroneously billed customers over $90 million next month. 15 million cellular customers were wrongly charged for internet usage, Verizon said, and they will be refunding around $2-$6 (and possibly much more) per customer. If you’ve already skipped out on Big Red, your reimbursement will come in the form of a check in the mail. Why is Verizon Wireless doing this? Well, it’s being reported by the The New York Times that the FCC presured Verizon as hundreds of complaints about this issue had been building up. Here is the full statement from Verizon Wireless:

Verizon Wireless values our customer relationships and we always want to do the right thing for our customers.

In October and November, we are notifying about 15 million customers, through their regular bill messages, that we are applying credits to their accounts due to mistaken past data charges. We will mail former customers refund checks. In most cases, these credits are in the $2 to $6 range; some will receive larger credits or refunds.

As we reviewed customer accounts, we discovered that over the past several years approximately 15 million customers who did not have data plans were billed for data sessions on their phones that they did not initiate. These customers would normally have been billed at the standard rate of $1.99 per megabyte for any data they chose to access from their phones. The majority of the data sessions involved minor data exchanges caused by software built into their phones; others involved accessing the web, which should not have incurred charges. We have addressed these issues to avoid unintended data charges in the future.

Verizon Wireless issue credits to customers from time to time based on regular review and monitoring. When we identify errors, we remedy them as quickly as possible. Our goal is to maintain our customers’ trust and ensure they receive the best experience possible.

i told you fools for years that this company was no fucccckkkinnnnn good!

Firegvw

at least their paying back and owning up, att and the other NEVER DO THIS. Verizon admits when their phone sucks and takes it off the market. (i.e. storm, env touch, razr v3+) it may take them a little while but they fess up and own up. think about what the other companys have prolly caught and not said out in public.

Chris

after several years they finally caught this? Damn this is old as hell, also nice excuse verizon.

warhed

About time… should be receiving some money from those bastards… after I send them $150! Wtf

Allen Walker

This must be why I had several people port from verizon yesterday. People are moving over from red to blue.

Capt.Obvious

Nope, the reason and only reason was the iPhone… with no iPhone blue is done.

Firegvw

after tomorrow and next month those port overs for iphone will disappear

Ryu

FCC should also check into the tiered data plans that Verizon and AT&T imposed

Brad

And do what? First of all, we don’t know anything about Verizon’s upcoming data plans, neither pricing nor data caps. Also, I very much do not like AT&T’s tiers, but I choose to not do business with them, so it doesn’t affect me. Anyone who’s currently with AT&T can take their business elsewhere if they do not like the service plans. You should most certainly NOT want the government dictating how a company can conduct business at this level, because that would give the government an unprecedented level of power, which they should absolutely not have. You might get a short term gain of getting your way, but in the long term, they will almost certainly abuse this new power that you’ve given them.

Yes, there are certain things the government needs to intervene on, if consumers are actually being harmed, but allowing the government to force a wireless carrier to maintain unlimited data plans is a very, very, very bad idea in the long term. Instead of expecting the government to do everything for you, make a statement with your bank account by taking your business elsewhere. Companies can only get away with anti-consumer business practices if we let them. And yes, you always have a choice. If you’re an iPhone fan, but you hate AT&T, then I’m sorry, but you have a choice to make, which is to accept their services and keep using the phone you love, or switch to a more friendly wireless carrier and use a different phone. Now, if AT&T refused to let you terminate your service to switch to another carrier, that would most definitely be a point at which the authorities would need to step in, but I don’t see that happening.

Anyway, keep in mind that if you read the fine print in the contract your signed with your wireless carrier, I’m betting you’ll find language regarding the fact that they reserve the right to change their terms of service at any time, so they’re only doing something you agreed to in the first place. And unless I’m mistaken, anyone who’s currently on AT&T’s old unlimited data plan can choose to keep that plan indefinitely. Even if you upgrade to an iPhone 4, the only reason you should have to change to the tiered plan is if you want to use tethering on the device, which many people won’t. Of course, new customers at this point will be forced to take the tiered plan, but that fact is simply a bullet point on a list of pros and cons that a person should consider when choosing a wireless carrier.

tomm

+over 9000

vZW_eMPLOYEE

Verizon felt it was cheaper to settle than to really pay back what they owe.

I can’t believe they were allowed to get away with it for so long.

Verizon Luver

Verizon luvers do you feel me? We need to stand together against these machinations from the Devil Satan himself.

People try to bring us down by saying our phones UI is ugly, accuse of crippling Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, forcing data plans and overcharging. But God has let us do that with his blessing.

Verizon is an agent of God himself and should be allowed to operate as they please.

Fred

Maybe all those folks should be allowed to get smart phones without data plans, then no credits if they actually use data.
It is possible to operate a smart phone with no data plan. Just like it is possible to drive a car with no second gear or reverse. I’ve done it. Didn’t like it, but it was possible. I eventually got a fully functional car. Just like everyone will get data,… eventually.

http://ReighSierra.com Reigh Sierra

$2-$6 per?

Nice.

I cancled my last Verizon phone two days into a new billing cylce; they refused to end my contract for that cycle, and into the following cycle. ($120 approx.)

Here I thought Verizon was a cruel corporate d nozzle, but instead, this gesture showed me they are in fact, lovable-huggable good people!

Glad those $2 will be coming my way, dollar store here I come!

I guess those $118 is just, meh?

Firegvw

you got a cancelation fee cause you are leasing a phone. that two year price isnt for your enjoyment. it’s a lease. you pay a small amount and overtime your cancellation fee goes down when they recoop the msrp on the phone. just like a car

Jay

HAHA…oh well… I dumped them last month… I got tired of the crooks… Other providers are a lot cheaper and do just as well if not better.

Donny

This is just Verizon preparing for the tiered data ripoff onslaught…think of this as applying the lube…

Rider

You Sissies have to respond

http://twitter.com/willsours will s

For those of you unaware, this I’m certain is related to their truly scumbaggish practice of selling people feature/dumb phones with no data plans or real browsers capable of using them anyway, and then assigned hardware buttons or real easy to press software ones to links that will immediately transfer a few bits of data, causing you to get billed 1.99 for that month for data access. My daughter had one of those damn LG dumbphones for awhile and I saw this on my bill all the time. Those crooks better give me every cent back too.

Firegvw

Verizon doesn’t make the phone. they just sell it. would you yell at kroger cause your keebler cookie didn’t have enough chocolate chips cooked in? don’t yell at verizon for a phone manufacturer’s mistake when they just distribute it.

Swagger

They’re still a bunch of blood sucking capitalist crooks.

Tony

I wouldn’t bash capitalism here. There are (surprisingly) a lot of tea bagger techies.

So Official

So how about that Ferrari Droid huh !!??

Verizon is my phone company

Biggest telecom crooks in history.

CDMA Enthusiast

Verizon up to now kept claiming they did no wrong and their CSR’s basically blamed us (the customer) for these charges.

Then Verizon went further (out of greed) and removed the data block feature which would have avoided these charges in the first place.

What’s irritating is that Verizon really only gets bad PR over this. 90 million is a slap in our faces as they’ll make this back up in a week.

Tony

I had the data block on my Dad’s phone, but then I had to take it off so he could take advantage of the unlimited picture messaging that I pay for. You can’t win.

Surely

Well you are a fucking moron then…data blocks; you can actually do it through my verizon account online. don’t affect the picture messaging…you sound like a whiny bitch.

Tony

Maybe they don’t anymore, but I’m talking about 2 years ago. Data blocks DID block ALL data. Also, fuck you.

Surely

interesting….a 2 year old thought is forming your basis on a new article/topic. that’s a solid logic

yaaaaaaaBoi

*HIGH FIVE* @Tony

http://www.Teh-Nook.com Deya

Since when has Verizon removed any “data block” features? If anything, they’ve added more individual features to help. Before, they had just a “block data” feature, meaning no picture messaging for customers at the cost of no data chargers. Now they have a block data feature while still allowing MMS.

As for the refund, at least they actually DID admit their wrongdoing and are trying to make it right. In this day and age when wireless providers are in such a fierce competition over everything, it’s refreshing to see one of them admitting to something they did wrong.

boyst

Anybody using Verizon Wireless is a fool unless it is a must…

Monique

I’ll admit I use Verizon (formerly Alltel) because they work well in Kansas as a whole. But I too fought with these pricks over charges both my mom and dad got on their dumb phones. Verizon kept insisting there was nothing they could do and that I must call in each month to have these charges removed if I felt they were unfair. One rep even told me she’d get fired if she put the data block feature on my account.

Verizon used scare tactics to force their employees to comply with their greed.

When I move to the City of Angels in January I’m checking out another provider.

Norm

My problem is that both VERIZON and At$t charge 20 dollars for unlimited text messaging…I think I read somwhere that is marked up 4000%… I might be a thousand or so off, but the point still stands that it is robbery and “paying back” 90 million to customers is going to be like turning off texting for a couple hours for the entire network.

jaime

ugh

Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).

Mr MN

What about all the good things peope say about Verizon? I was starting to think Verizon is the best wireless carrier in this country. My fantasy is crushed, but I’m not hurt. Other carriers are starting to look very good all of a sudden. Good thing we have other options.

Attila434AD

what about customers that left Verizon but was scammed by verizon for many years.

Verizoogle

All Verizon will do for you is offer you the opportunity to come back and give you a $350 ETF, forced data plan even on stupid phones and the same haughty uneducated attitude that their sales reps always give free of charge.

Firegvw

READ THE ARTICLE… THE WHOLE THING BEFORE YOU SOUND STUPID IN THE COMMENTS….. GO AHEAD READ THE SECOND HALF…. YOU WILL BE SENT A CHECK!!!!!

Verizon is the best

I’ll let them overcharge me anyday. They are the best.

They can cripple all my features and force me to use BING. I still love them.

I hope I can marry Verizon one day.

Attila434AD

did you try to use Verizon on your over sea trip?

The Late Martin Luther King Jr

i told you fools for years that this company was no fucccckkkinnnnn good!

PAPINYC

Personally, I plan to consign any Verizon refund to Sprint for my EVOOO……!!!!!!

:)

nobody

If you dont like it….take ur asses to at&t or sprint or somewhere else.

Attila434AD

that what I did CDMA is pretty limited

Firegvw

Where you can also get bent over for the same types of things but never get any money for them. AND you can enjoy a subpar network with glitchy service and barely any 4g lineup in the up coming 6 months. Unlike how Verizon is about to flood the market like a raging river or maybe a better analogy is like one-liner idiots to this comment stream.